Occupied Syrian Golan confronts Israeli 'clean energy' settlement plan
4 Min Read
Protesters affirm to Al Mayadeen that the energy turbines that the Israeli occupation wants to build aim to seize Syrian land and forcibly expel Syrians.
-
Residents of the occupied Syrian Golan confronting Israeli occupation forces, on June 21, 2023 (SANA)
Israeli occupation forces brutally attacked hundreds of unarmed residents of the occupied Syrian Golan who gathered to protest Israeli plans to seize more Syrian territory under the pretext of installing energy turbines.
Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that large crowds of Golan residents headed to the turbine company's work sites with the aim of confronting the occupation plans, adding that the occupation forces blocked crossroads leading to agricultural lands to prevent protesters from reaching the sites.
The Israeli occupation brought in large reinforcements and closed all roads leading to Al-Hafayer area, where Israeli wind turbines are to be built on Syrian soil.
Our correspondent mentioned that the occupation forces targeted the demonstrators from the eastern and western sides in an attempt to circumvent their movement and assaulted the demonstrators who advanced toward Al-Hafayer and set tires on fire.
Several protesters were injured after occupation forces fired on them rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Occupation forces also used drones to massively fire gas bombs toward the protesters, and dozens suffocated as a result.
مسيّرة تابعة لقوات الاحتلال تطلق قنابل الغاز بكثافة باتجاه المحتجين من أبناء #الجولان_السوري_المحتل.
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) June 21, 2023
مراسلة #الميادين هناء محاميد @HanaaMahamed pic.twitter.com/LGl04KliPb
Al Mayadeen cameraman was also injured by the gas bombs heavily fired by the IOF toward protesters.
#AlMayadeen's cameraman was injured as a result of tear gas bombs fired by the IOF to disperse occupied #Golan residents protesting Israeli criminal practices. https://t.co/9GRLClfIsW
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 21, 2023
During their protest, Syrian Golan residents confronted an Israeli occupation force trying to advance in the agricultural lands to circumvent the protesters.
Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that occupation forces arrested 8 demonstrators against the Israeli project.
She added that the occupation forces issued instructions to prevent ambulances from reaching the demonstration points.
The protesters affirmed to Al Mayadeen that the energy turbines that the Israeli occupation wants to build aim to seize Syrian land and forcibly expel Syrians, underlining that despite Israeli terror, they will not abandon their land whatsoever, stressing that liberation is underway.
Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al Mayadeen that the aggression against the people of the occupied Golan is a continuation of the Israeli occupation's "terror against our people and our nation," noting that "this terrorism against the people of the occupied Golan confirms the depth of the abhorrent racism of the Zionist institutions."
Qassem also made it clear that "all the measures of the occupation will not change the fact that this land belongs to its original owners and that the Zionist occupation has no place on it."
On his part, Faraj Saqr, a member of the Executive Office in Quneitra Governorate, told Al Mayadeen that "our people are determined to thwart all Zionist-American projects in our land."
This comes as IOF machinery continues bulldozing in the occupied Syrian Golan in preparation for a settlement project that seizes thousands of dunams under the pretext of "clean energy".
On Tuesday, the people of the occupied Syrian Golan confronted the Israeli occupation forces after the latter sought to take over their farmland, underlining their categorical refusal to set up wind turbines on their land.
The Israeli occupation forces brought in reinforcements in a bid to besiege the agricultural lands upon which they intend to build wind turbines for power generation.
On its part, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "salutes our resilient people in the occupied Syrian Golan, and expresses its pride and honor in their honorable stance and their continuous struggle against the Israeli occupation."
In a statement, the Ministry stressed that the brutal attacks of the Israeli occupation against people in the occupied Syrian Golan are nothing but a continuation of "Israel’s" aggressive policies and crimes, which are a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the United Nations Charter.
The statement underlined that Syria reiterates that the Israeli occupation of Golan will come to an end, noting that all occupation projects and illegal settlement schemes are null and void and a flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution No. 497 of 1981.
"Syrian Arab Golan was and will remain an integral part of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory, and its return to the homeland will inevitably come, and Syria and its resilient people will spare no effort for its return, using all available means guaranteed by international law, as it is an eternal right that is imprescriptible," the statement concluded.
It is noteworthy that "Israel" has been occupying the Golan Heights since 1967 and refuses to recognize Syrian sovereignty over it, despite the United Nations' repeated assertion that it is part of Syrian territory and that Israeli actions in it have no legitimacy.
